Submission of Articles

Thank you for your interest in submitting to Drug Topics! Drug Topics is a leading publication for pharmacists practicing across all sectors of health care. Total Pharmacy is a publication about the business of pharmacy, specifically designed for independent pharmacy owners. As the voice of the pharmacist, we welcome reader contributions.

Drug Topics publishes articles on a wide range of topics, from clinical concerns and drug approvals to front-end management and pharmacy technology. We encourage you to submit your article if you think it may be a good fit.

All articles submitted Drug Topics or Total Pharmacy should follow the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 11th Edition.. For submission to Drug Topics, please email agallagher@mjhlifesciences.com and, for Total Pharmacy, please email bnowosielski@mjhlifesciences.com.

Please review the following style guidelines before submitting your manuscript.

Article Specifications

All submitted articles should include the following:

• A title that is accurate, concise, and crafted to stimulate reader interest
• The full names of each author, followed by their highest academic degrees and additional credentials
• Institutional affiliations and titles for each author
• A short, approximately 25-word summary of the article
• A short, 1- to 3-sentence bio of each author
• When available, authors should submit a current high-resolution headshot as a .jpeg or .png file.

Text

• Articles should be submitted in a Word document (PDF files will not be accepted).
• The article should include citations throughout as well as a corresponding list of references at the end of the article following the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 11th Edition.
• Tables, figures, or legends can be included in the article, or submitted in a separate Word document. These items should also include citations where needed.
• Abbreviations or acronyms must be spelled out in full on first appearance in the text, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.
• When discussing medications, use the generic name, followed by the trade or brand name in parentheses on first mention.

Graphic Elements

• The inclusion of graphic elements (tables, figures) is encouraged when appropriate.
• Graphic elements should include a title, and acronyms should be defined at the bottom of the element. Footnotes should use superscript letters (a, b, c), not asterisks or special symbols.
• Tables should be submitted in an editable format, such as Word or Excel.
• Figures may be recreated by our production team.
• If submitting photographs (for example, of a pharmacy front-end display), please include a caption.

References

• It is the responsibility of the author to include and verify all references.
• References should follow the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 11th Edition.
• References should be cited sequentially in the text as a superscripted number.
• Two reference numbers are cited separated by a comma, with no space; 3 or more consecutive reference numbers are cited as a range with a hyphen.
• Click here for an example of reference styles.
• Please do not submit articles with linked references from EndNote or another reference manager program. If used, please unlink references prior to submission.

Editorial Process

• Articles will be edited for house style and clarity.
  • A member of the editorial team will reach out if your article requires substantial revision or has raised queries that need to be addressed.
• The editorial team reserves the right to reject submissions, hold submissions for publication in a particular issue, and publish submissions either in print or on drugtopics.com.

Article Types

• Features (approximately 800-1000 words): A deep dive into a specific clinical or business topic.
• Viewpoints (approximately 600-800 words): These opinion pieces are typically not clinical in nature, focusing instead on a unique experience you have had in your practice.
• Independent Insights (approximately 600-800 words): Specific to pharmacists practicing in the independent/community pharmacy space, these pieces should focus on the unique issues impacting independent pharmacists today (for example, reimbursement, current challenges, patient services and programs, etc).

General Guidelines for Drug Topics

• Write for an audience of your peers. Our readers include pharmacists practicing in independent, community, chain, health system, and specialty spaces, among other industry stakeholders.
• Submissions should be original and not have been previously published, either online or in print.
• Submissions should be topically relevant to our audience.
• Submissions should not be solely promotional in nature; however, it is acceptable to include a few sentences at the end of an article promoting an upcoming workshop or event, or to include links to your social media platforms.

General Interest Topics for Total Pharmacy

• Business Strategies: Opportunities for increasing revenue, building a better pharmacy, staff development and training, point-of-care testing, marketing and promotion, social media strategies, etc.
• Patient Services: medication therapy management, immunizations, point-of-care testing, cash-pay services, disease state management, nutrition services, weight management services, customer service, attracting and retaining customers, etc.
• Pharmacy Inventory: supply chain, front- and back-end procurement, building relationships with GPOs and wholesalers, new products, OTC products, contract negotiation with manufacturers, etc.
• Pharmacy Finance: Financial performance, buying/selling a pharmacy, understanding cash flow, assessing financial performance, increasing revenue opportunities, DIR fees, PBMs, reimbursement strategies, etc.
• Law and Regulations: Legislation and regulatory updates, provider status, advocacy, reimbursement strategies, DIR fees, PBM audits, ownership rules, etc.
• Technology: Data collection, digital health tools, pharmacy software, etc.